KYIV — Former U.S. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll made his debut public appearance since leaving the Trump administration on Saturday, delivering a stark warning about the future of global combat while applauding Ukraine’s technological advancements. Speaking at the Yalta European Strategy forum, Driscoll argued that the world stands at “an inflection point in warfare,” contending that major military powers have failed to match the pace and creativity seen on the Ukrainian battlefield.
Donning a tie featuring traditional Ukrainian embroidery, Driscoll joined Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO who now leads Perennial Autonomy, an American defense contractor with operations in Ukraine. CNN’s Fareed Zakaria moderated the dialogue, which took place during the second day of the annual conference organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation to examine Ukraine’s role in Western security structures.
A central focus of the discussion was DELTA, a Ukrainian software system that aggregates data from radars, sensors, and individual soldiers to provide military leaders with comprehensive situational awareness. Driscoll stated that the platform exceeds any technology currently available to the United States military. He added that as Ukraine enhances its processing power and artificial intelligence capabilities, it possesses a significant opportunity to “outrun the Russians, out-innovate them, and out-partner” them to achieve victory.
Driscoll, a Iraq War veteran and former venture capitalist, has maintained close ties with Vice President JD Vance, having met him during their time at Yale Law School. During his tenure, he was involved in administration efforts to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion. His resignation, announced on August 31, followed reported conflicts with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth regarding the dismissal of senior officers and modernization initiatives, though the White House provided no official explanation for his departure.
Over his 18 months in office, Driscoll advocated for the U.S. military to adopt lessons from the conflict in Ukraine, leading to procurement reforms aimed at accelerating weapon delivery. The urgency of such reforms was highlighted during the war with Iran, when the U.S. faced shortages in defenses against Iranian Shahed drones. Rather than relying on major defense contractors, the military turned to Schmidt’s Perennial Autonomy, which rapidly supplied 13,000 “Merops” interceptor drones and 10,000 “Bumblebee” reconnaissance and strike drones—technologies widely utilized in Ukraine.
“He literally called me and I said, of course, yes,” Schmidt recalled. “The question is, could the government have had a multi-year plan to anticipate this?”
Driscoll emphasized the need to internalize the “scrappy, fast, iterative nature” of Ukraine’s approach. The scale of Ukrainian production drew attention from the audience; when Zakaria noted the disparity between the approximately 300,000 drones the U.S. expects to purchase this year and Ukraine’s projected output of 7 million, former CIA Director David Petraeus interjected from the crowd, suggesting the Ukrainian figure may be closer to 10 million.
Despite these praises, recent months have seen the U.S. Army distance itself from some of the units dedicated to studying Ukraine’s warfare tactics. In August, the Army disbanded a drone battalion focused on these lessons. Additionally, two prominent advocates for the unit, former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and former commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa Gen. Christopher Donahue, were forced to retire or fired earlier this year.
Driscoll did not directly address these personnel changes. However, he defended the administration’s overall commitment to Kyiv, acknowledging that support had not always met Ukraine’s expectations. “I believe the relationship that the U.S. has had with your country throughout this has remained… unflinching in the desire for you to be successful,” he said.
Reflecting on his decision to leave office, Driscoll suggested his impact would be greater outside the government. “My highest and best use to make the world a little bit safer at this very scary time was to do it on the outside,” he concluded.
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